Older individuals, and some younger persons as well, may experience difficulty in walking and maintaining balance while walking. This may occur as muscles and joints tighten in older individuals, or may result from injury or surgery. Walking for such persons becomes a problem, and stepping actions of raising and lower of feet sometimes becomes a shuffling movement during walking. Such persons are benefited physically and mentally by continuing involved activity with others and with walking as required for movement between bed and bath, dining rooms, and outside activities. Persons may assist, such as by holding arms as a support on which to lean.
Physical equipment providers have addressed the need for support apparatus to assist with individuals who experience difficulties with walking and standing. The ambulatory assist devices include motorized movement vehicles, canes, and four-legged walking devices that are commonly referenced as “walkers”. The four-legged walking devices include handles for gripping and front and back legs extend from the handles to the ground for support. Often the distal ends have caps on the ends that contact the ground. The front legs in some embodiments include wheels or rollers, for facilitating the walking of the user.
While such walker ambulatory assist devices assist with the walking actions of the person, there are drawbacks. Persons with problems of walking and balance may move into walls and furniture while walking even with use of an ambulatory assist device. The wheels may make the ambulatory assist device move more quickly than the person being supported may be capable. Caps made of rubber may be relatively stopped by certain types of floor surfaces, and the person being assisted may stumble relative to the ambulatory assist device.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved guide device attachable to a leg of an ambulatory assist device and method to facilitate walking use of the ambulatory assist device by a person. It is to such that the present invention is directed.